by Justin Lagat
The Kip Keino Classic World Athletics Continental Tour Gold, set for this Saturday, April 20th, is another exciting event. Many global stars—mostly Kenyan runners—are expected to feature.
Winners from last year’s 4th edition that included Shacc’arri Richardson in the women’s 200m, Mary Moraa in the 800m, Beatrice Chebet in the 5000m and Beatrice Chepkoech in the 3000m Steeplechase, Emmanuel Wanyonyi in the men’s 800m, Daniel Ebenyo in the 10,000m and Wojciech Nowicki in the Hammer Throw, featured prominently at the Budapest World Championships. And, this being an Olympic year, it will be interesting to watch out for the winners from this year’s edition; they, as well, might be the same stars to watch in Paris.
So far, Letsile Tebogo, Ferdinand Omanyala, Christine Mboma, Wojciech Nowicki, Mary Moraa, and Pawel Fajdek, among others, have been announced for this weekend’s World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet.
“I want to ask the Kenyan fans to turn up in large numbers to cheer our athletes. Kip Keino is a homecoming of our athletes dominating races worldwide. Come watch our runners compete here before they go to the Paris Olympics to win the gold medals there,” Barnaba Korir, the meeting director, said in a TV interview.
This year, the event will happen at the Nyayo National Stadium, not the usual Kasarani Stadium, which is now closed for renovation. But still, it is a fast stadium within the same national capital of Kenya.
Africa’s fastest 100m runner, Omanyala, has expressed his confidence about running a quick time in the new venue, saying that it is a similarly fast stadium if all other factors will favor him. One of the several factors that Omanyala will need is an entire stadium to motivate him.
He has been quoted several times as saying, “I like working under the pressure of the huge crowd in the stadium.”
Botswana’s huge sprint talent, Tebogo, who just set a world record for the 300m (30.69) and has also run the fastest 400m (44.29) this year, will be returning to Nairobi after he last won the World U20 title in 2020.
